Scientists find life coming to Earth from space

Scientists from the University of Sheffield believe they have found
life arriving to Earth from space after sending a balloon to the
stratosphere.

The team, led by Professor (Hon. Cardiff and Buckingham Universities) Milton
Wainwright, from the University’s Department of Molecular Biology and
Biotechnology found small organisms that could have come from space after
sending a specially designed balloon to 27km into the stratosphere during the
recent Perseid meteor shower.

Professor Wainwright said: “Most people will assume that these biological
particles must have just drifted up to the stratosphere from Earth, but it is
generally accepted that a particle of the size found cannot be lifted from Earth
to heights of, for example, 27km. The only known exception is by a violent
volcanic eruption, none of which occurred within three years of the sampling
trip.

“In the absence of a mechanism by which large particles like these can be
transported to the stratosphere we can only conclude that the biological
entities originated from space. Our conclusion then is that life is continually
arriving to Earth from space, life is not restricted to this planet and it
almost certainly did not originate here.”

Professor Wainwright said the results could be revolutionary: “If life does
continue to arrive from space then we have to completely change our view of
biology and evolution,” he added. “New textbooks will have to be written!”

The balloon, designed by Chris Rose and Alex Baker from the University of
Sheffield’s Leonardo Centre for Tribology, was launched near Chester and carried
microscope studs which were only exposed to the atmosphere when the balloon
reached heights of between 22 and 27km. The balloon landed safely and intact
near Wakefield. The scientists then discovered that they had captured a diatom
fragment and some unusual biological entities from the stratosphere, all of
which are too large to have come from Earth.

Professor Wainwright said stringent precautions had been taken against the
possibility of contamination during sampling and processing, and said the group
was confident that the biological organisms could only have come from the
stratosphere.

The group’s findings have been published in the Journal of
Cosmology and updated versions will appear in the same journal, a new
version of which will be published in the near future. Professor Chandra
Wickramasinghe of the Buckingham, University Centre for Astrobiology (of which
Professor Wainwright is an Honorary Fellow) also gave a presentation of the
group’s findings at a meeting of astronomers and astrobiologists in San Diego
last month.

Professor Wainwright’s team is hoping to extend and confirm their results by
carrying out the test again in October to coincide with the upcoming Haley’s
Comet-associated meteorite shower when there will be large amounts of cosmic
dust. It is hoped that more new, or unusual, organisms will be found.

Professor Wainwright added: “Of course it will be argued that there must be
an, as yet, unknown mechanism for transferring large particles from Earth to the
high stratosphere, but we stand by our conclusions. The absolutely crucial
experiment will come when we do what is called ‘isotope fractionation’. We will
take some of the samples which we have isolated from the stratosphere and
introduce them into a complex machine – a button will be pressed. If the ratio
of certain isotopes gives one number then our organisms are from Earth, if it
gives another, then they are from space. The tension will obviously be almost
impossible to live with!”

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